A review by ljv
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was a cute, fast, and fun read. I’m a huge Ali Hazelwood fan and my hopes were high for this book because I think what she does best is tension and I was not let down on that front at all. The journey from kind of rivals, to colleagues, to friends, to a little more, to lovers felt comforting and believable, especially the hints along the way that the MMC falls first and falls hard. As someone who is a fan of dual POV romances, it never seems necessary with her books because it’s so clear Nolan is obsessed (in a good way) with Mallory. Where this fell a little flatter for me was the focus on the FMC’s flaws.

A large portion of the plot is focused on how Mallory’s dedication to her family is getting in the way of her success and relationships. It’s clear from the beginning of the story that she has some kind of martyr complex, so rather than empathizing with how hard it must be for her it feels a little more like waiting for her to realize that she’s not the only person that has complex feelings.

This was compounded by Nolan not really having any flaws that are focused on, despite his own complex history coming into play a few times. Also, for anyone familiar with her other books, it’s worth noting that this book is classed as YA and is about this spicy ->🫑, but I didn’t miss it at all because the pining and romance and friendship was so good, I just wish we had more time with Nolan and Mallory not in conflict.